A Parent's Worst Nightmare
by Klutzygirl33
Summary: Still grieving over Chris' death, Leo seeks comfort and answers from Penny and Victor, who have also lost their children. Set post "Cheaper by the Coven".


**Disclaimer**: I don't own Charmed and never will. No copyright infringement intended.

**Author's Note**: This came from how I wished they had explored Leo's grief more after Chris died. Penny and Victor probably knew exactly what he was going through, so this fic was born from that. I hope you enjoy.

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><p>Leo Wyatt had no one to talk to. Piper was dealing with running P3 and raising the boys, Paige was dealing with her own issues over Chris' death, and Phoebe would probably blab his secrets. The Elder didn't want that. So, when he saw that Penny and Victor were alone in the living room, watching the boys sleep, he took the chance.<p>

Penny stood up. "What's the matter with you?" She eyed him warily. The matriarch of the Halliwell family still didn't trust her granddaughter's husband and wasn't about to let him off the hook for his recent behavior.

"I just need to talk to you."

"What about?" Victor wasn't sure if he could trust his son-in-law either because of the events since he had arrived for Chris' Wiccaning.

"How do you get over it?" Leo wasn't sure how to approach this conversation.

"Get over what?" Victor was confused as to what Leo was talking about. Piper had informed him that the Elder had gone slightly off the deep end and didn't make sense sometimes. Maybe it had happened again.

"Your child dying. Have you ever gotten over it?" Leo blinked back the tears that had become a constant companion the past few months. God, he hated feeling this way so much.

Penny hadn't even considered the fact that Leo was grieving for the son he had lost – In fact, she thought he was having issues over killing Gideon. She knew that the baby version of Chris was still alive, but obviously, that wasn't helping much with the grief. "Oh. Come over here and sit down."

Victor's heart had dropped to his stomach after hearing Leo's words. He wasn't shocked that his son-in-law had fallen completely apart now. The death of Chris (in conjunction with killing Gideon) had caused him to hit rock bottom and now Leo was floundering in his grief. Victor impulsively hugged the Elder. "The death of a child is the most horrendous thing that can happen, isn't it?"

Leo nodded. "I don't know what to do. I don't want to do this, to hurt my wife and sons, but I can't stop it. I want revenge. I want to raise the fucking bastard that did this and kill him again. Gideon deserves to pay and be tortured. I hope he's rotting in Hell where he belongs."

"You can't let your anger and grief cloud your judgment. I know it's hard, but you can get over it eventually. Soon, that baby in his bassinet will grow up to be the brave man you knew. Sure, he'll be different, but you'll love him all the same. When I lost Patty, I had the girls. Prue, Piper, and Phoebe got me out of bed in the mornings when I didn't feel like it. I could summon her after a few years, and that helped, but I never fully recovered." Penny was feeling sympathetic for Leo now, which she hadn't expected.

"I still have problems today. Piper and Phoebe, my grandsons, and even Paige helped me through that initial grief. I regret all the time I missed with my daughters because I should have been a better father. I shouldn't have abandoned them, but it's too little too late. I'm trying to make it up to them now, but I don't think I can ever make it up to Prue. I miss my little girl, my Prudence, every single day. And what you have to do is try your best to move on." Victor stifled a sob because now was not the time to fall apart. He disliked his son-in-law most of the time (Still some leftover resentment of Patty and Sam's relationship, even though he loved Paige like a daughter), but this, he could bond with him about. It was a depressing bond thing to bond over, but such was life.

And with that Leo burst into sobs that he couldn't hold back anymore. He had been trying not to fall apart again, but the effort was obviously futile. "Why did I have to lose him?"

Penny uncharacteristically started rubbing his back and shushed him. "I don't know, but I wish I did." She and Victor put aside their differences for a few minutes and comforted Leo. The witch rocked him back and forth as the sobs continued to rock the Elder.

After about ten minutes, Leo's breath hitched as the sobbing started to die down. He was exhausted now and felt embarrassed for his breakdown. "Sorry for this," he murmured.

"Listen to me, Leo Wyatt. Don't you ever apologize for crying over the death of your child. There's no worse pain and I'm so sorry you had to experience it. But you need to talk to someone. The way you're grieving isn't healthy and someone could end up hurt." Penny hoped he got the help he needed, but she doubted Leo would. He was still stuck in rock bottom and it would be a long time before he crawled out.

"There's nothing to be embarrassed about. We've all gone through the same thing you have, even if the circumstances in which our children died are different. It's cliché, but true that the grass is greener on the other side. You'll get there someday. It'll take time, but I have faith you will." Victor reluctantly smiled at him, even though his heart was breaking. This conversation with Leo was bringing back the grief for Prue that he had been trying to bury for the past few years. Tonight was going to be a bad night already, he could tell.

Penny was glad that she and Patty were reunited now, although she was going to give her daughter a hug the next time she saw her. Like with Victor, the grief had come rushing back and she didn't like that feeling. But Leo needed her and Victor's comfort, and that was the most important thing.

"I have nightmares every night." Leo had reluctantly admitted, but the nightmares had been plaguing him since the night that Chris had died – and had been born. They wouldn't leave him alone, so he mostly tried to stay awake. However, even Elders needed sleep.

"Those will never go away, but they become more manageable eventually." Victor knew that since had had gone through it himself right after Prue's death.

Leo was grateful to his grandmother-in-law and father-in-law for the help they had provided. It had helped – at least for a little while – and that was the important thing.

Penny, Leo, and Victor had bonded over something that no parents should ever have to go through - the death of a child. It was the one of the worst pains in life and every parent's worst nightmare.


End file.
